Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Revelations

Choreographer: Alvin Ailey.  Alvin Ailey said that one of America’s richest treasures was the cultural heritage of the African-American —"sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but... always hopeful." This enduring classic is a...

Revelations

(1960)   Choreographer: Alvin Ailey Music: Traditional   Alvin Ailey’s timeless masterpiece Revelations has become one of the most well-known and respected ballets in the history of dance, acclaimed as a must-see for all and...

Night Creature

Night Creature

(1974)   Choreographer: Alvin Ailey Music: Duke Ellington   Combining modern dance, classical ballet and jazz, Night Creature is a perfect fusion of Alvin Ailey’s buoyant choreography and Duke Ellington’s sparkling...

Memoria

(1979)   In Memory - In Celebration   Choreographer: Alvin Ailey Music: Keith Jarrett   In the tumultuous time of 1979 when Mr. Ailey's great, perennial friend from his Lester Horton days, the choreographer Joyce Trisler, died...

Masazumi Chaya

Masazumi Chaya

Masazumi Chaya was born in Fukuoka, Japan, where he began his classical ballet training. Upon moving to New York in December 1970, he studied modern dance and performed with the Richard Englund Repertory Company. Mr. Chaya joined Alvin Ailey America

Judith Jamison, Artistic Director Emerita

Judith Jamison, Artistic Director Emerita

Judith Jamison joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965 and quickly became an international star. Over the next 15 years, Mr. Ailey created some of his most enduring roles for her, most notably the tour-de-force solo Cry. During the 1970s...

Alvin Ailey, Founder

Alvin Ailey, Founder

Alvin Ailey was born on January 5, 1931 in Rogers, Texas. His experiences of life in the rural South would later inspire some of his most memorable works. At age 12, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles, where he was introduced to dance by...

Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey

Born in Rogers, Texas on January 5, 1931, Alvin Ailey was introduced to dance by performances of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.  His formal dance training began with an introduction to Lester Horton's...

History of Alvin Ailey

History of Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey was born on January 5, 1931 in Rogers, Texas, where he spent his formative years attending Sunday School and participating in the Baptist Young People’s Union. These pivotal experiences of life in the rural south would later inspire some of Ailey’s most memorable works, including his first ballet, Blues Suite, and the acclaimed masterpiece Revelations.